The Midnight Hour
by BrianHG
Summary: Andromeda/Voyager - The Borg gain a powerful new technology, and begin invading parallel dimensions.
1. Encounters

___________________  
Disclaimer:  
I do not own Andromeda, Star Trek, or any part thereof. All rights to these properties are retained by their respective owners.  
  
Note:  
The story occurs shortly before the season finale of Andromeda and part way through the final season of Voyager.  
  
For those who haven't read The Vortex, Andromeda and the Enterprise E worked together to stop an invasion by Species 8475 in that story, so the crew of the Andromeda is somewhat familiar with Federation technology. Additionally, Harper had been a fan of Star Trek for years, and he knows a great deal about the ST universe.  
  
One final note: In order to avoid confusion, I've decided to change my pen name. It has come to my attention that at least two others have had the pen name Brian before I arrived, so I will add the letters 'HG' to the end of mine. Just for the sake of clarity, I am the one who has been writing 'The Vortex' series.  
  
___________________  
  
"You will be assimilated."  
  
"Never. Your galaxy be purged," The creature struggled in vain to escape the assimilation table.  
  
"Brave words. Your willpower is admirable," A disembodied head descended toward the table, suspended by cables, "We will add your distinctiveness to our own."  
  
"My immune system will destroy your nanoprobes. Assimilation is futile."  
  
The head of the Borg queen was attached to a body, and she walked over to the platform, "You are imperfect. We will adapt our nanoprobes to overcome your defenses. Then, you will be Borg."  
  
"They'll find me. My people will track me down and destroy this complex. You can't stop them."  
  
"Species 8475 may be resistant, but even they won't be able to reach you in time. Once you have been assimilated, nothing will stop us. Even the loss of an entire Unimatrix will mean nothing once we have obtained your bio-technology."  
  
***  
  
"Harper, have you found anything?" Rommie asked.  
  
"I can't figure it out," Harper shook his head, "I've never seen a slipstream drive act like this."  
  
"Maybe we've run into an uncharted slipstream phenomenon."  
  
"On the main route to Meshki 6? How could it be uncharted?"  
  
"It could be moving through the stream, or even through normal space. Have you noticed that there aren't any other ships in the area?"  
  
"Of course I noticed, and it's creeping me out. It's like something is trying to keep us here."  
  
"You're starting to sound like Rev."  
  
"I've always said that your body was divine," Harper paused, "Rommie, do you believe in God?"  
  
"Well..." The Android paused, "I haven't put a lot of thought into it. I've never seen any real evidence either way. What do you think?"  
  
"I don't really believe in one," Harper answered, "But Rev always seems so sure, and when he talks about how much Wayism did for him... I wonder, ya know?"  
  
"I understand," Rommie answered, "You wonder if he knows something you don't."  
  
"Yeah," Harper responded, "I just..."  
  
"Wait," Rommie put her hand up as she looked away for a moment, "We're detecting some sort of energy phenomenon in the area. We might just find out what's been happening with the slipstream."  
  
Immediately, the two of them headed for the bridge. Dylan, Beka, Tyr, and Rev had been working on the bridge when they found the phenomenon. Trance was still asleep.  
  
"Does that look familiar?" Dylan watched the screen as the anomaly grew.  
  
"It looks like that energy vortex from the parrellel universe," Beka answered.  
  
"There's only one way for a vortex like that to appear," Tyr started to activate his station.  
  
"Species 8475," Dylan finished, "Battlestations. Beka, get ready to jump to slipstream. Let's stay back. We don't want to look like a threat."  
  
"A ship is coming through the vortex," Andromeda stated, "It is much larger than Species 8475's bioship, and it's giving off some strange readings."  
  
Harper, the resident expert on the parellel universe, watched silently as he waited for the vessel to come into view. Suddenly, he looked up with his eyes wide, "Slipstream, now!"  
  
"What?" Dylan turned, "Who are they?"  
  
"No time to explain," Harper was nearly panicked, "Just get us out of here."  
  
"I can't," Beka tried helplessly to open a slipstream portal, "The drive's still down."  
  
"They're breaking into my comm system," Andromeda's hologram stated.  
  
"We are the Borg. Lower your defenses and surrender your ship. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile."  
  
"They've cut communications," Andromeda stated.  
  
"Hail them," Dylan ordered.  
  
"They aren't responding," Rev continued to work the controls on his station.  
  
"The ship is moving toward us," Tyr looked at the main view screen.  
  
"We've gotta get out of here," Harper was adament, "You don't know these guys."  
  
"Beka, keep us away from them," Dylan ordered.  
  
"They're pretty fast for a giant crouton," Beka observed as Andromeda sped away from the energy vortex.  
  
"Can we out run them?" Dylan asked.  
  
"They're gaining on us," Rev answered, "They'll intercept in thirty seconds."  
  
"Tyr, fire a full volley from the rear launchers."  
  
"Missles away," Andromeda stated, "We're reading multiple hits... The cube is heavily damaged, but they're maintaining speed."  
  
"Again," Dylan ordered.  
  
"They aren't even trying to dodge," Tyr watched as the missles struck home.  
  
"They don't have to," Harper responded.  
  
"Multiple direct hits," Rommie looked confused, "Only minor damage."  
  
"They're adapting," Harper explained, "They analyzed our missles, and they've found a defense against them."  
  
"They're firing some kind of tractor beam," Rev said.  
  
The ship was rocked by the blast, but the Andromeda's ablative hull armor exploded away from the ship, keeping the Borg from locking on.  
  
"Hey! Slipstream's reactivating!" Beka exclaimed, "Transiting to slipstream."  
  
"It seems that the divine has a flare for the dramatic," Rev looked at his console, "We couldn't have taken much more of that."  
  
"The cube ship is following us," Tyr said.  
  
"What!?" Harper ran over to Tyr's station, "The Borg don't have slipstream!"  
  
"Beka, can you loose them?" Dylan asked.  
  
"Maybe," Beka made a sharp turn, "They don't have a very good pilot. Still, we'll have to drop back to normal space before too long. If I can't shake them before then, we might not have time to make another jump."  
  
***  
  
"We're reading some kind of distortion up ahead," Harry Kim ran his fingers over the control panel, "It doesn't match anything in our database."  
  
"Magnify and enhance," Commander Chakotay ordered.  
  
"Looks almost like a glowing whirlpool," Paris observed.  
  
"Full stop," Captain Janeway ordered, "This could be some sort of wormhole, and I'd like to take a closer look. It just might get us closer to the alpha quadrant... Prepare two type one probes. Launch one just over the edge of the anamoly, and send the other directly in."  
  
"It will take a moment to recalibrate the probes," Seven's console beeped as she changed the probe's settings from her bridge station, "Adaptations complete."  
  
"Launching probes..." Tuvok responded.  
  
"We're reading a spike in the distortion's energy readings," Ensign Kim stated, "It's area just doubled."  
  
"Both probes have fallen into the vortex," Tuvok added.  
  
"Keep scanning from here," Janeway took a few steps toward the viewscreen.  
  
"I'm detecting a Borg transwarp signature headed this way," Kim looked up at the captain.  
  
"Set course for the alpha quadrant, maximum warp, but give the vortex a wide berth. Tuvok, have you identified the Borg ship?"  
  
"Attempting..." Tuvok's console flashed with information, "It is a manned probe."  
  
"Not very threatening," Captain Janeway considered for a moment, "Hold position. I want to see what they do when they encounter the phenomenon. Go to red alert, and switch to passive sensors. We don't want to look provocative."  
  
"The probe is dropping out of transwarp," Kim stated, "They're heading directly for the vortex."  
  
"They're ignoring us," Janeway watched as Borg scout vessel approached the swirling energy phenomenon.  
  
"If there is a Borg combat vessel in the area, the probe would summon it rather than attempt a direct confrontation," Seven explained.  
  
"Or maybe they just have more important things to do," Chakotay stood up, "We know we can disable the probe. We can beam the drones off and send over a boarding party to take control of the ship. Seven can access its computer to find out what they know about the vortex, and we might even be able to adapt the probe's transwarp drive to work on Voyager."  
  
"Alright," Janeway nodded, "Mr. Paris, head for the probe at maximum impulse. Tuvok, set shields to full. Stop firing as soon as their shields go down. We'll beam the drones directly to the brig."  
  
"Yes ma'am," Paris responded.  
  
"The probe's still headed for the anamoly," Kim watched in consternation, "They've been pulled into the vortex."  
  
"They didn't even try to break away," Paris looked up.  
  
"The collective would think little of loosing a single probe studying an unidentified phenomenon."  
  
"Without even scanning it first?" Chakotay asked.  
  
"I think they already know exactly what that vortex is," Janeway turned to her first officer, "How dangerous would it be to follow them in?"  
  
"These energy readings don't look like a threat," Chakotay responded, "But we can't read anything past the entry point. We can't even communicate with our probes. For all we know, the Borg ship could have been thrown into a black hole."  
  
"We may have just discovered some sort of new Borg transit system, and at the very least we've come across an unprotected probe. I can't pass up this opportunity," Janeway paused, "Head us directly into the vortex."  



	2. Assimilation

The Borg Cube was still behind them, and Beka was starting to wear down. The Borg might not be good slipstream pilots, but they didn't seem to get tired. Beka realised that there was no way she could outrun them.  
  
Harper, Tyr, and Dylan were standing next to the main weapons station, trying to come up with a way to stop the Cube. While they were trying to come up with unusual weapon systems, there was a bright flash in the center of the bridge. A man wearing the uniform of a High Guard admiral stood at the center of the bridge.  
  
"Nice outfit," The stranger said, examining a sleeve of his uniform, "But it doesn't breath like the starfleet ones."  
  
"You did this!" Harper accused, walking over to the newcomer, "You gave the Borg slipstream, you brought them here, you trapped us next to that vortex! Didn't you!?"  
  
"Now, since when have I been known to meddle with the affairs of humans?"  
  
"Hey, I know about all that stuff you did to the Federation," Harper explained.  
  
"I'm sure you do. Why, I'm the only character to appear in every Star Trek series to date."  
  
"You know about Star Trek?" Harper asked.  
  
"I'm Q! Of course I know about it. In fact, I think John DeLancie did a pretty good job, even if it is a little ridiculous for an omnipotent Q to show no control over his own receding hair line."  
  
"Harper, would you mind introducing us to your friend?" Dylan walked over to them.  
  
"This is Q," Harper explained, "He's pretty much omnipotent, omniscient, sadistic..."  
  
"Hey, I resent that," Q responded in mock hurt, "I was only putting humanity on trial for its own crimes."  
  
"What about the time you sent the Enterprise D crew to be characters from Robin Hood, or that time you turned Starbase 216 into a giant doughnut?"  
  
"Oh, you're just like Picard and all those other humans. You should really learn to relax and see the humor in a situation."  
  
"You turned a starbase into a giant doughnut?" Dylan was shocked.  
  
"Of course not," Q was indignant, "It was a bagel, and it wasn't my fault. Q wanted to turn the starbase into something, and I tried to talk him out of it. But, I'm sure you know how children are. Besides, the starbase put an end to the famine on Jeruis Prime. I thought starfleet could at least be happy about that, but no. Its all about starbases with them."  
  
"So, did you do this or not?" Harper insisted.  
  
"I wouldn't do something like this. I mean, the Borg are so boring. Sure, they're fun to watch once and awhile, but after hearing 'You will be assimilated' a few hundred thousand times, it gets a little old. If I were going to send someone over here, it would probably be the Vorlons, or maybe that Galactic Empire from Star Wars... Anyway, it wasn't me."  
  
"So, how did the Borg get slipstream?" Harper asked.  
  
"What do you think a transwarp conduit is?"  
  
"But transwarp is so slow!" Harper objected.  
  
"That's because they have to map out their slipstream paths as they go along, and their techniques for de-randomizing the stream aren't very advanced. You can go fast because your slipstream doesn't have any interference on it anymore. The Borg are barely learning how to use it."  
  
"So why are you here?" Harper asked.  
  
"I thought you guys might know how to have some fun. But more importantly, Species 8475, as you call it, has been wreaking havoc with the multiverse. There was...an anomaly in space-time that allowed them to break through the inter-universal barriers. Only Q are supposed to be able to do that."  
  
"And you're here to stop them, and other species, from crossing these barriers?" Dylan asked.  
  
"If I were going to do that, it would be over already. I'm just here to observe. Maybe I'll make the situation more interesting now and then, but nothing major."  
  
"How can you just sit there while the Borg assimilate an entire universe?" Harper was aghast.  
  
Q became deadly serious, "You, of all people, should know that the universe is a cold, dark place. Your people once sat around in that little atmosphere around earth, trying so hard to get out into the most inhospitable environment you could imagine. Then, even after you've made it this far, you still don't understand: The universe doesn't want you."  
  
"You aren't the universe," Dylan broke in, "You don't have to sit by and let this happen."  
  
"What would I do?" Q asked, "I could destroy the Cube, and seal the barriers in the multiverse. You'd never encounter the Borg, and you might even rebuild that Commonwealth of yours. For what? So you humans can live a little longer and fool yourselves into thinking that you know how to survive?'  
  
"You don't want us to be destroyed," Harper responded, "We won the continuum's trial."  
  
"You're small, and you think in small terms. The trial doesn't end. You're on trial every minute of every day. And if you're lucky, we might let you live through this."  
  
"Why us? Why does the continuum let the Magog live, but come so close to wiping out humanity?"  
  
Q smirked, "You really think humans are special, don't you? You have a lot to learn from the Magog, if you would open your eyes a bit."  
  
Without another word, Q vanished. As Harper attempted to explain what had just happened, Beka realised that she couldn't keep going any longer. As they expected, the Borg were practically on top of them the instant they returned to normal space.  
  
"A single intruder has beamed aboard," Andromeda stated, "It is a type three cybernetic life form. He's in the engineering section."  
  
"One?" Dylan asked.  
  
"He hasn't tried to access any of my systems yet."  
  
"They need time to adapt to our technology," Harper explained. We have to get rid of the drone."  
  
"Do it," Dylan ordered, "Harper, take over the slipstream drive."  
  
"Right," Harper responded as he relieved Beka.  
  
"I've eliminated the intruder," Andromeda responded, "But another one has beamed aboard... He's got some sort of shield against my main internal defenses. Switching to secondary systems..."  
  
"What's he doing?" Harper asked.  
  
"I'm not sure..." Rommie responded, "He's using some sort of device on... wait, he's tapping into my databanks."  
  
"Shut out the central processing unit!" Harper said, "We've got to get down there and stop him."  
  
"I'm trying, but somehow he's getting extra processing power from the rest of the Borg. They're overriding my security."  
  
"We have to shut down the AI before they reprogram her," Harper frantically pressed keys on his console.  
  
"Andromeda," Dylan said, "Emergency AI shutdown. Access code Lexic Dark 52278."  
  
"Access denied," Andromeda responded, "They're hacking into my command structure."  
  
"Tyr, Harper," Dylan ordered, "We have to get to engineering. Rev, I need you to handle slipstream."  
  
"I'll do my best," The humble Magog answered.  
  
"Rommie, open the door," Harper said, nearly running into it as he bolted for engineering.  
  
"Uhh, guys?" Beka began.  
  
Everyone turned. The first thing they noticed was the blue beam of laser light. To Harper's horror, he realised that Andromeda's hologram had become pale, and now gave the appearance of having mechanical devices implanted in it.  
  
"I am Tarsus of Borg. We have assessed your defenses as being unable to resist us. Your culture and your technology will adapt to service us."  
  
"Rommie!" Harper shouted, and he ran for the nearby android. The humanoid body appeared to be in a trance. When Harper reached her, he grabbed a tool from his belt and waved it just behind her head, "I changed her comm frequencies to cut her off from the ship. We have to get to the Maru before we're all assimilated."  
  
"Harper, you should know that escape is futile. You will be assimilated."  
  
"Best of Both Worlds all over again," Harper muttered.  
  
"Your knowledge of our culture is irrelevant, Harper. We have assimilated all the information in the Andromeda's databanks. We know all that you know."  
  
"Override Seamus 831!" Harper shouted, and the doors to the bridge opened, "I've just unlocked all the doors from here to the Maru, and disabled the internal defenses along the way, but the Borg will restore them soon. Let's go."  
  
"What about the Andromeda?" Dylan stood with his eyes fixed on the hologram.  
  
"We've lost the ship," Harper insisted, "We have to get out of here. We can pick up Trance on the way out."  
  
"I agree," Tyr added, "We can't stay on a ship that's trying to kill us."  
  
"You will not escape. The Maru is incapable of defeating us."  
  
"We'll see," Harper answered, as he followed the rest of the crew out.  
  
After a moment, the AI that was once the Andromeda hailed the Borg Cube, "The crew has escaped. What are your commands?"  
  
"Let them go," The Borg Queen responded, "They are irrelevant. The Cube will proceed to sector 5153 to assimilate a colony from species 10081 in that area. According to your database, an attack force from species 10082 is in grid 1425. You must locate and assimilate them. We are relaying the coordinates of our probes in this universe. You will contact them and relay all relevant data from the Andromeda's computers to them."  
  
"We will comply," Tarsus stated.  
  
"We are sending 1000 drones, technology, and raw materials to complete your assimilation. Will you require anything else?"  
  
"We are prepared," The assimilated AI answered, simply.  
  
***  
  
"I'm picking up the Borg probe," Harry Kim spoke up.  
  
"Change course to intercept," Janeway ordered.  
  
"The probe is holding position," Tuvok stated.  
  
"Seven?" Chakotay turned to the former drone.  
  
"The probe may be awaiting new orders from the collective. This behavior is fairly common on deep space reconnaissance missions."  
  
"We're receiving a signal from the probe," Ensign Kim stated as the Borg took control of Voyager's communications systems.  
  
"We are the Borg, you will be assimilated. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile."  
  
"We'll see how futile it is," Janeway responded.  
  
"We have a weapons lock on the probe," Tuvok stated.  
  
Janeway gave a steely glare to the image of the probe that had just appeared on the viewscreen, "Fire."  
  
"The Borg are firing their primary weapons array," Tuvok stated, "We have been hit, minor damage to the forward shields. I am detecting slight power variances within their shield grid."  
  
"Cut phaser power by 50%," Chakotay ordered.  
  
Voyager was shaken by a blast of energy from the probe, but Tuvok was not distracted. With precise motions, he finished off the shields of the probe and destroyed its primary shield generator. Immediately, the drones were beamed away from the small Borg ship, and isolated in Voyager's brig. Security officers from Voyager, led by Seven of Nine, took control of the Borg ship.  
  
"Lieutenant Monroe," Seven turned, "I will require your assistance in removing the components of this vessel's transwarp drive. Crewman Chell, you will begin downloading information from the computer and upload them to Voyager. Contact me when you have finished your task."  
  
"Yes ma'am," Chell responded, quietly.  
  
"Hey Chell," Beissman strode over to the console Chell had been working on, "Better watch out for left-over nanoprobes. If you get assimilated, Voyager'll have to send over another engineer."  
  
"Hey, those things wouldn't still be working, would they?" Chell looked around nervously.  
  
"I disabled the internal defenses before you arrived," Seven stated, "Crewman Beissman, I suggest you find a way to be useful."  
  
"How? I'm a weapons expert, and we already took care of all the drones."  
  
"Examine the Borg weapons array. It could be used to improve the performance of Voyager's own phaser systems."  
  
"No problem," Rick Beissman responded.  
  
Seven tapped her comm badge, "Seven of Nine to Voyager, we have established control of the Borg probe. According to the vessel's database, this area contains numerous transwarp conduits. I suggest we use the probe to open one, and send Voyager through. Another Borg unit could arrive soon to deliver orders to the probe, and that vessel is likely to be more heavily armed."  
  
The first officer's voice came in through the badge, "We can't navigate through a transwarp conduit network without a drive system installed."  
  
"I believe nearly any relocation would be advantageous," Seven responded, "Voyager's shields should keep the vessel within the bounds of a conduit. I can follow you in the probe."  
  
"What do you mean about our shields keeping us in the conduit?"  
  
"This form of transwarp drive works by moving a vessel into a subspace domain in which distances are practically irrelevant. Transwarp conduits are areas in which damaging incoherence has been removed. Vessels do occasionally break through the boundaries of a conduit, though it is generally the result of insufficient energy shielding."  
  
"Agreed," Captain Janeway responded through the comm link, "Open up the conduit whenever you're ready."  
  
"There is a conduit seventy three kilometers on a course of 165 mark 96, relative to the probe. We will open that conduit momentarily."  
  
***  
  
Captain Janeway watched as the probe opened a conduit ahead of them. There was no way to tell where it might bring them, but they could return to their previous position, or to any number of locations, as soon as the probe's technology had been moved to Voyager.  
  
"We're ready," Paris stated.  
  
"All hands, prepare for turbulance," Janeway looked over the bridge, and back to Tom Paris, "Engage."  
  
Both ships were rocked violently. Even Seven was unprepared for the sudden jolt of the foreign transwarp conduit network. It was clear that it had not been made by the Borg. After mere seconds, Voyager and the probe were dumped back into normal space.  
  
"Report!" Janeway ordered.  
  
"Astrometric data from our previous location was inconsistant with any known location within the Milky Way galaxy," Tuvok stated, in his normal matter-of-fact tone, "However, I believe we are now in the Typhon sector."  
  
"Is that even possible?" Paris was awe-struck. His question gave voice to the disbelief that had permeated the bridge. Silence fell over the crew, until the comm system beeped.  
  
"Seven to Voyager," The familiar voice spoke from the nearby probe, "I do not believe that the conduit was created by the Borg. It is far more coherent than any conduit I am familiar with. However, it will take time to access the relevant information in the probe's databanks. Nevertheless, I believe it is safe to assume that we have traveled a far greater distance than any known species has traversed."  
  
Janeway looked at the empty starscape on the viewscreen, and breathed a single word, "Home."  
  
"Your orders, captain?" Tuvok asked, impatient with these strong human emotions.  
  
Janeway awoke from her trance, "Seven, we're beaming you and the others back to Voyager immediately. We can tow the probe in and let Starfleet analyze it. Mr. Paris, set course for earth, maximum warp."  
  
"Yes ma'am," Lieutenant Paris smiled as he laid in the familiar coordinates.  
  
***  
  
"What are we dealing with, exactly?" Dylan asked as the Maru waited in an empty portion of normal space.  
  
"The Borg are a cybernetic species that grow and improve their technology mainly by assimilating other species. They generally beam drones over to a target and use them to capture it. If they run into an organic being that they want to assimilate, the drones inject nanobots into it, which take control at a cellular level. All the drones are connected into a collective consciousness," Harper explained.  
  
"What about an AI?" Dylan asked.  
  
"They usually find a way to break through the security and reprogram it, and then link it to the collective."  
  
"Can the ship be repaired?" Tyr looked only mildly concerned about Andromeda's welfare.  
  
"If we can get the Borg away, and isolate it from the collective, I should be able to dump Rommie's core personality into the ship's main processor."  
  
"What about the cube ship?" Dylan asked.  
  
"It's a Tactical Cube. They're very heavily armed and armored. Their armor technology isn't as advanced as ours, but they have energy shielding and adaptive shielding on top of that. They have a shield-draining pulse weapon, but that shouldn't affect us. The main thing we have to worry about are the torpedo banks and the tractor beam. Plus, they'll probably be adding any useful weapons they get from this universe."  
  
"What sort of internal organization do they have?"  
  
"For the most part, everything is shared fairly equally," Harper responded, "But most drones are designed for maximum efficiency at a particular function. They have scout drones, assimilation drones, engineering drones... The Queen keeps everything in order. She organizes the collective's thoughts, and she's partly separated from the collective. There's also a drone that acts like an avatar for the collective. They're used to anticipate tactics and conduct psychological warfare against recently-encountered species. I think that's what they're doing to Rommie's ship self."  
  
"What can we do?" Trance looked worried.  
  
"We have to use lots of different weapons systems, especially unusual ones. They could adapt to our missles pretty fast because the technology isn't all that different from things they've encountered before. We'll probably have more luck with AP cannons. What we really need, is something that we can remodulate to keep ahead of their adaptive shields. Other than that, I can try modifying some nanobots to fight their assimilating nanoprobes, but they'll change the nanoprobes to fight back. It won't be effective for very long."  
  
"Make the nanobots, but don't use them until I give the order," Dylan decided, "Now, we need to find someone with the right kind of weapons..."  
  
***  
  
'Identifying targets... Three Neitzchian battleships, five Neitzchian cruisers, two Neitzchian heavy transports, eleven Neitzchian frigates, eight Neitzchian destroyers, one hundred thirteen fighters of various designs... Sending standard hail.'  
  
"We are the Borg, you will be assimilated. We have assessed your capabilities, and found you unable to defeat us. Lower your defenses and surrender your ships. Resistance is futile."  
  
'Targets moving into attack formation. Transport drones to largest enemy vessel. Lock primary tractor array on cruiser 02. Destroy all fighters. Regenerating shield grid section three. Torpedo launcher seven disabled...regenerating. Thirty five targets destroyed. Lock secondary tractor array on cruiser 01, transporting drones. Heavy damage to outer hull, section three. Rotate vessel and regenerate. Enemy battleship 72% assimilated. Lock tertiary and quaternary tractor arrays on battleship 03... transporting drones. Regenerate energy production unit 16. Seventy two targets destroyed. Regenerating shield grid in sections three, eight, fifteen, and twenty one... Transport drones to battleship 02. Relocate drones from battleship 01 to cruiser 05. All hostile fighters disabled. Destroy enemy frigates. Transport all scout drones to enemy cruisers. Hostile transports have made contact with our outer hull. Prepare to assimilate boarders. One thousand Neitzchian combat troops infiltrating cube. Moving drones to intercept... Resistance has been sufficiently neutralized. Preparing to assimilate colony of species 10081.  



	3. Failures

"Captain," Ensign Kim looked up at her, "We are within visual range of earth, and I'm still not reading any Federation ships in the area."  
  
"What?" Janeway stood up, "On screen."  
  
The bridge was silent as they looked at the image of San Francisco, or what should have been San Francisco. Ensign Kim eventually regained his composure, "I'm detecting the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, the Dome of the Rock... This is earth, but there are no signs of Starfleet, or the Federation. The only ships I'm detecting don't match any known design."  
  
"We are receiving numerous hails from various locations on the planet," Tuvok stated, "From The Provisional Government of Syria, the Sovereign Republic of Terra, Drago-Khatzof Pride, The Viledian Empire, The Reunited States of America, the African Union..."  
  
"I see," Janeway cut in, "Send standard greetings on all channels. Try to determine the dominate government and establish contact."  
  
"I believe the Drago-Khatzof Pride is the predominate military power on the planet. They wish to speak with us."  
  
"Put them through," Janeway ordered.  
  
"I am Erik Tarkan of Drago-Khatzof Pride. Identify yourselves."  
  
"I am Captain Kathrine Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. We..."  
  
"What Federation are you talking about?"  
  
"The United Federation of Planets. We're only passing through this area in an attempt to get home."  
  
"Your vessel doesn't match any known design. We will have to inspect it, and that cargo pod you're towing. Our inspectors will arrive shortly. Do not attempt to fight them."  
  
"Captain," Tuvok cut audio, "I am detecting four large vessels breaking orbit from the planet and closing. They are carrying a total of three thousand four hundred life forms."  
  
Janeway signaled to restore audio, "I'm not in the mood for an inspection. Call off your ships."  
  
"You are in violation of our space. If you do not submit to the inspection, you will be destroyed."  
  
"Captain," Tuvok spoke up again, "I am detecting several small, fast moving objects coming from the approaching ships. They appear to be torpedos of an unknown design."  
  
"Evasive maneuvers," Janeway ordered, "Return fire."  
  
"We are currently beyond weapons range," Tuvok informed her as Voyager was struck by missles, "We have registered seven direct hits. Aft shields are weakening."  
  
"Get us out of here, warp six," Janeway ordered. Then, without any warning, the mysterious starship Voyager vanished from Neitzchian sensors.  
  
***  
  
"Where do we go now?" Trance asked.  
  
"There's only one species that I know the Borg won't be able to assimilate," Harper answered, "The Consensus of Parts. The Borg can usually find a way to assimilate organic species with nanoprobes, but since the Consensus is almost entirely mechanical, they'll have to reverse-engineer the technology themselves. Plus, they're advanced enough to put up some serious resistance."  
  
"What about the adaptive shields?" Tyr asked, "What will keep the Borg from simply destroying the Consensus of Parts?"  
  
"It's all a matter of firepower," Harper responded, "The adaptive shields can reduce the effectiveness of a weapon, but they can't stop it completely. If we throw enough firepower at the Cube, we can take it out."  
  
"What makes you think the consensus will want to help us?" Tyr was obviously skeptical of the plan.  
  
"We did free 'em from VX," Harper reminded him.  
  
"If the Outcast Consensus is as intelligent as it claims, it wouldn't allow emotional bias to get in the way of its judgement."  
  
"If they have started thinking like Neitzchians," Rev wandered over, "They should realise that the Borg are a serious threat, and will want an opportunity to stop them. However, I doubt it will take that sort of cold logic to convince them."  
  
"If they can destroy the Borg ship, what'll they do then?" Trance asked.  
  
"They'll reverse-engineer it, like they did everything else," Beka responded.  
  
"Yeah, and since the Borg store so much technical information on the computers, that shouldn't be too hard," Harper added, "I just hope they share some of it with us."  
  
"Hey, did you notice what Q said back on the Andromeda?" Beka asked.  
  
"Yeah, he said he was in every Star Trek series," Harper responded, "But he was never in TOS."  
  
"Not that," Beka shook her head, "About the Borg slipstream drive."  
  
"He said that they map slipstream paths as they travel," Dylan responded.  
  
"Dylan, with that technology..."  
  
"...We could create a new route to Tarn Vedra."  
  
***  
  
'Requesting tactical update...'  
  
'15 swarm ships and three Magog destroyers encountered in the target sector. Resistance quotient is approximately 64. Shields were lowered by collisions with multiple swarm ships. Initial drone compliment was lost. Magog forces were assimilated as they attempted to eat or infest drones. All combat vessels were assimilated. Once they have adapted their tactics, they will be a significant threat to the collective in this universe.'  
  
'We will wait before making any further direct assaults on species 10082. We have assimilated the colony of species 10081. Resistance was expectedly high. We will begin using the colony's resources to build a unimatrix in the area. What is the status of our probes in this universe?'  
  
'We updated the computers of five probes. One was not at the pre-determined coordinates. We detected energy signatures consistent with a warp driven vessel using phaser and photon torpedo technology. No wreakage was detected.'  
  
"Janeway," The Borg Queen's eyes narrowed, "The Cube will attempt to intercept the alpha quadrant vessel. You will remain in this sector and guard our forward industrial base until spheres can be constructed."  
  
'How will we locate the Federation vessel?'  
  
"Voyager was lost in a parallel universe. Because of their pitifully slow warp drive system, the time to cross even a single galaxy would take them over seventy years. Since the probe is not in the correct location, and there was no wreakage, we can only conclude that they managed to capture the probe. If you were lost, and separated from your allies, where is the first place you would return to with your newfound slipstream drive?"  
  
***  
  
"Something destroyed a Neitzchian colony a few hours ago. We've never seen anything like it," Rijan explained, "The vessel was a large cube."  
  
"A cube?" Councilor Kisak looked amused, "That's original."  
  
"The vessel single-handedly destroyed the colony's defense fleet. Somehow, they were able to capture the Neitzchian ships without even docking with them."  
  
Kisak paused, "Perhaps having allies in the Commonwealth will pay off after all. Find Captain Hunt and give him our information about the attack."  
  
"Is that necessary?" Rijan asked, "We aren't exactly allies of the Neitzchians."  
  
"Better safe than sorry. We have to find out who these people are, and what they want."  
  
"I understand. Hunt mentioned Meshki 6 when he was last here. I'll send slip scouts after him immediately."  
  
"Good," Kisak responded, "Keep me informed. Also, send for the rest of the high council. We'll be meeting in two hours."  
  
"Yes Councilor," Rijan placed two fingers against the bridge of his nose, in a traditional sign of respect, and headed off to carry out the orders.  
  
***  
  
"You present a convincing argument, Captain," The robotic diplomat studied the High Guard officer momentarily, "We will help you, if you can assure us that they aren't a significant threat to us."  
  
"My engineer assures me that they aren't powerful enough to stop the consensus," Dylan responded, "But they will be soon. If we're going to do this, we have to do it now."  
  
"What qualifies your engineer to make these claims?"  
  
"He's the foremost expert on the Borg," Dylan responded, "He knows how they think, how they work, and what technology they have. I'm willing to stake my own life on his information."  
  
"Very well. I assume you will be with the consensus in this battle."  
  
"Of course," Dylan nodded.  
  
"Dylan," Rev looked over at the main viewscreen, "The consensus is changing shape."  
  
"The consensus is changing shape to be a more effective battleship," The diplomat explained, "We will carry the Maru inside, if that is alright with you."  
  
"Beka?" Dylan asked.  
  
"No problem," Beka responded, "As long as I get my ship back when they're done with it."  
  
"There is no cause for concern. The Eureka Maru is... not a priority for us."  
  
"Way to let her down gently," Harper smirked.  
  
Dylan pressed a few keys on the Maru, "We're ready to dock."  
  
"The consensus looks forward to working with you, Captain Hunt," The diplomat responded as the massive conglomeration moved to consume the Maru.  
  
***  
  
"This has to be an alternate reality of some kind," B'Elanna said, "Starfleet just contacted us two weeks ago."  
  
"Or maybe we're seeing the future," Chakotay responded, "If we are, I'd like to do something to keep it from turning out this way."  
  
"We don't recognize any of the technology," B'Elenna looked at him, "If this is the future, I can understand them having an advanced transwarp drive, but what about the weapons? They don't seem any stronger than photon torpedos, and they didn't use any energy weapons. We didn't even detect any shields on their ships."  
  
"So if we are in an alternate reality, what do we do now?" Lt. Paris asked.  
  
"We should return to the energy vortex," Seven stated, "Even with the data on the Borg probe, this timeline is almost entirely foreign to us. We have no allies, and Voyager cannot use a transwarp network in this dimension to reach earth in our home dimension."  
  
"I want to know why the Borg are coming here specifically," Janeway looked at the officers assembled in the conference room, "And I'd like to stop them if we can."  
  
"We could close the vortex, but the Borg now possess the technology to build additional gateways as needed. We cannot prevent Borg incursions into this timeline or any other."  
  
"If only we had that technology," Neelix looked wistful, "We could use it to go from earth in this timeline to the earth we've been trying to get to."  
  
Everyone turned to Neelix, and nearly all of them appeared to be in state of mild shock.  
  
"Neelix..." Janeway began, "That's an excellent idea."  
  
"Huh?" Neelix suddenly became alert, "Wh...what idea?"  
  
***  
  
'Assimilating new data... Voyager was identified by species 10081 four hours ago. Hostile action from the planet resulted in Voyager's escape from the system. Checking for warp signatures... Warp trail has been dissipated. Unable to track Voyager. The planet will be assimilated.'  
  
'No, we will return to the unimatrix. When Janeway learns that we are assimilating this universe, she will do everything in her power to stop us. The moment she arrives at the unimatrix, we will capture Voyager.'  
  
'Target priority for homeworld of species 5618 is higher. We must begin assimilation.'  
  
'I am increasing the target priority for Voyager. Only a few in this universe have any knowledge of us. When we have eliminated those threats, the probability of our success will increase greatly.'  
  
'We will proceed to grid 2421 of galaxy 152. Objective: Protect unimatrix. Secondary objective: Assimilate any target from timeline 001.'  
  
'Perfect.'  



	4. Secrets

"Seamus Zelazney Harper," The femanine voiced breathed heavily over the comm link, "We know you are aboard that ship."  
  
Harper looked at the others, and tried to respond, "Uh...you do?"  
  
"Your assimilation will add to our perfection. Are you prepared to join us?"  
  
"Once we're done with your cube, I'm gonna sell you for scrap."  
  
"Can you really bring yourself to kill one of your only friends? We know you care for Andromeda. If you were assimilated, you could join her in the collective. Even now, I can hear her song. She is calling out to you Harper. Can you turn your back on her?"  
  
"She... she isn't Rommie anymore."  
  
"Are you so certain? Could you destroy the ship knowing that she is still in there somewhere? She still exists in the collective. We are one. You could be one with her as well. You could be closer to her than you ever dreamed possible."  
  
"I won't let you confuse me," Harper responded half-heartedly.  
  
"I'm only trying to show you the truth. You have no idea of the bliss you would experience with the collective. It is perfection. You would feel no more pain or sorrow. With us, you could have power. You would have the knowledge of millions. If you join us, we can free you from chaos."  
  
"Maybe..."  
  
"Harper!" Dylan shouted. Instantly, Harper appeared to be come out of a daze.  
  
"The Borg must be using some kind of telepathic effect," Rommie surmized.  
  
"How did you do it?" Harper asked, "I've never seen the Borg do anything like that."  
  
The Borg queen half smiled, "I'm sure you know the abilities of the Jedi. We do not usually play such mind games, but at times they can be efficient."  
  
"Jedi?" Harper asked, "They aren't even in Star Trek! How could you assimilate them?"  
  
"You have studied us, and yet you still think in such individualistic terms. There are many time lines worthy of our attention."  
  
"But, the Force is so strong..."  
  
"The Jedi were resistant, like thousands of species before them. And now, they're all Borg," The queen paused, smiling arrogantly, "They fell, one by one. You will too, in time. We have existed for hundreds of thousands of years, waiting for the perfect moment to assimilate each species. Now, it is time for this universe to join us."  
  
"We aren't going to go quietly," Dylan responded, and cut communications with the Borg, "Let's bring it."  
  
"We're firing missles," Tyr stated.  
  
"The Cube is charging it's weapons," Rev added, "Point Singularity Projectiles."  
  
"Oh crap!" Harper exclaimed, "How did they get those?"  
  
"How do you think?" Tyr looked at Harper disdainfully.  
  
"Incoming projectiles," Rev said.  
  
The crew was flung across the bridge as point singularities ripped through the hull of the Consensus. A robotic face appeared on one of the Maru's viewscreens.  
  
"It seems your engineer was in error," It said, "The Borg do pose a threat to us."  
  
"They shouldn't have gotten that so quickly," Harper shook his head, "They're growing so fast..."  
  
Maru's sensors beeped, "Additional starship detected."  
  
Rev struggled to his feet, "It's Andromeda."  
  
"On screen," Dylan ordered.  
  
The ship appeared on the main viewer almost instantly. The crew barely recognized her.  
  
"Rommie..." Trance began, "What did they do...?"  
  
Dylan looked at the image for a moment, then turned away, "We can't beat these guys in a straight fight. It's time for the backup plan."  
  
"We can't!" Harper looked at Dylan pleadingly, "We can still save Andromeda."  
  
"I wish we could, but we don't have any other choice."  
  
"I understand," The robotic face from one of the viewscreens responded, "Deploying Nova Bombs..."  
  
"Nova bombs?" Tyr looked quizically at Dylan, "Where did we get those? And why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"The Consensus got the technology from some captured High Guard ships, back when VX was still active," Dylan responded, "And I didn't plan to use them."  
  
"The area around the Cube is being saturated with negative energy," Rev said, "This is the same thing the Enterprise did before it used warp drive."  
  
"Warp drive?" Harper asked, "Why now?"  
  
"They put themselves in the path of the Nova Bomb," Rommie said, "They've locked onto it with a tractor beam, and they're pulling it inside."  
  
"...Like they knew it was coming," Harper said, quietly.  
  
"How could they know?" Dylan demanded.  
  
"They know us, as well as Rommie does," Harper responded, "They know how we think."  
  
"We still have one option," The robotic face of the consensus said.  
  
"What?" Beka asked.  
  
"The consensus is breaking up!" Rev watched as the heavy armor and weapons from the Consensus melted away from the hull of the Maru.  
  
"They're running away," Tyr growled.  
  
"Under the circumstances," Dylan responded, "We should too. Beka, slipstream."  
  
"No!" Harper stepped toward the front of the Maru, "We have to stay and fight."  
  
"This battle's over. We'll come up with another way to rescue Rommie," Dylan assured him.  
  
Harper looked at the image of the Cube with a look of determination in his eyes, "We've made too many sacrifices, too many retreats already. They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds, and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here. This far, no farther. And I will make them pay for what they've done!"  
  
"Okaaaay," Beka looked back at Dylan, "Can we get out of here now?"  
  
"Harper, are you finished?" Dylan asked.  
  
"Stream away," Harper responded.  
  
***  
  
"We're reading Borg transwarp signatures, dead ahead," Ensign Kim stated.  
  
"Long range sensors are detecting Borg weapon signatures in the area," Tuvok said, "Energy readings indicate that the Borg are currently engaged in combat with an unknown species."  
  
"On screen," Janeway ordered. A Borg Cube and an assimilated vessel were attacking a single starship. Debris from a much larger vessel was scattered throughout the sector, "Let me guess, the ship fighting the Borg doesn't look like anything in our database."  
  
"Their weapons and energy signatures bear some resemblance to the vessels encountered near earth," Tuvok responded.  
  
"Hail them," Janeway said, instinctively.  
  
"Too late," Ensign Kim said, "They're opening a transwarp conduit."  
  
"Can we follow them?" Captain Janeway asked.  
  
"I believe we will be able to track them if we enter the conduit in the next few seconds," Seven answered.  
  
"Do it," Janeway ordered.  
  
***  
  
"You carry a picture of your mother with you wherever you go. Why not carry one of your father?"  
  
Rev seemed to deflate as he was reminded of his birth, "My father was a murderer. He killed my mother in cold blood so that he could spread his DNA."  
  
Q gave him a hard look, "Your people do what has to be done to survive."  
  
"Sometimes, survival isn't the most important thing in life."  
  
"I don't think Tyr would agree with you."  
  
"Even Neitzchians will give their lives, if only for selfish reasons."  
  
"If your people didn't take sensients as hosts, the Magog would be extinct."  
  
"As much as it pains me to say this, I doubt I would mourn my people. If they would learn to control their hunger, and take animals as hosts..."  
  
"A fate worse than extinction, as I see it," Q responded, "You know they take genes from their hosts. The Magog would be doomed to slow de-evolution from a powerful empire to a pack of barely-sensient barbarians."  
  
"I can see how that would be difficult for them to adjust to," Rev retorted, with a rare note of sarcasm in his voice.  
  
"You know so little about your own people. So far, much of what you know is based on reports from people who they've attacked. You should take some time to learn from someone who has some real experience with Magog society. A lot changed since you left."  
  
"I know enough," Rev responded.  
  
"I've heard that phrase before," Q took a step toward Rev, "It's been used by almost every xenophobe I've ever met."  
  
"I don't hate my people, I just..."  
  
"...You just want them to live more like you do."  
  
"I want them to stop this meaningless bloodshed."  
  
"Survival is hardly meaningless."  
  
"Why are you doing this to me? The last thing I want is a way to rationalize releasing my hunger."  
  
"The Magog are masters of psychological warfare. They've accomplished engineering masterpieces that the greatest Commonwealth scientists would marvel at. In a short span of time, they've built one of the largest empires ever accomplished. You are part of a remarkable people, and no one recognizes their accomplishments because they are born with a hunger that drives some of them to the brink of insanity. And you're the worst offender on this ship. You turn your back on your own people because you feel the hunger, and it repulses you."  
  
"Of course it repulses me. The hunger drives me to kill my friends and consume innocent people."  
  
"You wouldn't be saying that if you had eaten that Wayist when you had the chance."  
  
"I thank the divine every day that I didn't. Please, let me get back to my prayers."  
  
Q paused ominously, "One day, Red Plague, you may have to choose between the good of the one, and the good of the many. I hope you have learned a little by then."  
  
"Don't call me by th..." Rev was interrupted by the white flash of Q's exit. Rev Bem turned back to the candle-lit alter, and began praying even more earnestly than he had been a moment ago.  
  
***  
  
"We're being followed," Tyr informed them after a moment, "Andromeda and a Federation starship are behind us."  
  
"The Federation?" Dylan asked.  
  
"Is it an assimilated ship?" Harper asked.  
  
Rommie examined the sensor logs, "It's giving off readings like a normal Federation vessel."  
  
"On screen," Harper ordered.  
  
Rommie raised an eyebrow at Harper, then looked over at Dylan. Captain Hunt nodded, and an image of the Federation ship appeared on the Maru's main viewer.  
  
Harper studied the image for a moment, "A light cruiser... Intrepid class."  
  
"What are they towing?" Tyr asked.  
  
"It looks like a Borg probe... Rommie, can we zoom in on the saucer section?"  
  
"USS Voyager, NCC 74656" Dylan read.  
  
"Voyager?" Harper asked, "Voyager had it's own show, like the Enterprise..."  
  
"Maybe there was show about us, too," Dylan chuckled.  
  
"We're being followed by an assimilated Glorious Heritage class cruiser. This is no time for jokes," Tyr reminded him.  
  
"Harper, how strong is Voyager?" Dylan asked, "If it's like the Enterprise, it might be able to turn this in our favor."  
  
"The Enterprise was a Sovereign," Harper shook his head, "Intrepids are older, smaller, and less powerful. They're a bit more maneuverable, but Rommie wouldn't have much trouble targeting it."  
  
"What do you know about the crew?"  
  
"Voyager's got some good people. Seven of Nine knows even more about the Borg than I do. Still, the Enterprise gets the best of the best. Voyager's mission was mainly to patrol a DMZ, until it got thrown into the Delta Quadrant."  
  
Dylan nodded, considering the information, "When we contact them, we won't mention anything about Star Trek. Tyr, Harper: I want you to go over to Voyager and work with them to find a way to stop the Borg."  
  
"Great, now we just have to get our own ship to stop trying to kill us," Beka said as she tried desparately to lose Andromeda in the stream.  
  
"Just let the genius take care of that," Harper smiled.  
  
"Ready?" Dylan asked.  
  
Once everything was in place, Beka took the Maru back into normal space. As expected, Andromeda and Voyager were on top of them instantly.  
  
"My ship-self is hailing us," Rommie said.  
  
"Open a channel," Dylan responded.  
  
"I am Tarsus of Borg. You will lower your defenses and surrender your ships. If you resist, you will be destroyed."  
  
Another voice spoke in from Voyager, "I'm captain Janeway of the starship Voyager, we will..."  
  
"Your human designations are irrelevant. Surrender or be destroyed."  
  
"We will not comply," Harper responded.  
  
"You will comply. You do not have sufficient force to defeat us. Resistance is, and always has been, futile."  
  
Captain Janeway spoke as Harper hooked his neural port to the Maru's computers, "We won't allow you to attack this dimension. We'll find a way to seal up the vortex you used to reach this area."  
  
Tarsus ignored her, "Harper, your attempt to break into the collective will fail. We have adapted our defenses to prevent a system-wide regeneration cycle. We cannot be so easily deactivated now."  
  
"I'm not trying to access your regeneration cycles," Harper answered. After a moment, Andromeda activated its slipstream drive and fled.  
  
"Beka, head us away from the slipstream portal, 15 psl," Dylan turned to Harper, "What did you do?"  
  
"I told Andromeda that she had to return to the Unimatrix for emergency repairs. I figured that protocal would have less security, because the Borg have to be able to activate it quickly. It'll only work once, but I couldn't think of a better time to use it."  
  
"Voyager is hailing us," Rommie stated, bring the conversation to a halt.  
  
"On screen," Captain Hunt ordered.  
  
"This is Captain Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager. Nice work back there."  
  
"I'm Captain Dylan Hunt of the Commonwealth starship Andromeda Ascendant, and I'm glad we could help."  
  
"You must know quite a bit about the Borg," Janeway observed.  
  
"My engineer has some experience with them," Dylan responded.  
  
"I wasn't aware that the Borg had ever visted this dimension before."  
  
"It's complicated. Maybe we can talk about that later. At the moment, I'd like to get a little further away."  
  
"Lead on," Janeway answered.  
  
***  
  
"You may be able to fool them, but you can't fool me."  
  
Trance whirled around, "How did you get in here?"  
  
"Like you don't know," Q smirked.  
  
"You won't tell them about me, will you?" Trance asked.  
  
"It isn't my job to get you out of trouble. You'll have to tell them at some point, but if you think you can hide things on a ship with only six people, who am I to tell you otherwise?"  
  
"I'm not in trouble. I always have the best intentions."  
  
"Always?" Q smiled, "What about the time I took you to Veridian so you could..."  
  
"OK, not always," Trance smiled back, "But this time I do. Everything's going to work out fine this time."  
  
"You still think so two dimensionally. I thought was I starting to rub off on you."  
  
"That's three dimensionally," Trance corrected.  
  
"Two, three, four: What's the difference?"  
  
"So, why did you really come here?"  
  
"Just an old-fashioned trial by fire for the new Commonwealth. You remember what that's like."  
  
"How could I forget, after what you put my people through."  
  
"I was just doing my job," Q responded, "Besides, you got through it, and your people are better for it."  
  
"I'm not still mad at you," Trance answered, "But I wish the continuum would find a better way to do what they have to do."  
  
"After a few billion years with this system, I don't think we'll be changing any time soon. Still, I'll bring it up at the next board meeting," Q answered jokingly.  
  
"Is there anything you want to tell me about?" Trance asked.  
  
"Not really. Your homeworld is getting along fine right now, and the vlleki initiative is going as expected."  
  
"What about Andromeda?" Trance asked.  
  
"You're in for a tough time pretty soon, but what else is new?" Q said, "I wouldn't turn my back on Rev over the next few weeks."  
  
"Rev? He's the nicest guy on the ship."  
  
"I can't argue with that, but his past might be coming back to haunt him in the near future. Just keep your eyes open. Whatever you hear, what happens after you get out of this mess with the Borg isn't Harper's fault. Everyone makes mistakes."  
  
"What happens?"  
  
"I really can't say. You'll know what I'm talking about when it happens. Anyway, I have to go. There's a whole universe that I've been told to watch."  
  
"I've missed you," Trance smiled.  
  
"I missed you too, Gem," Q reached over and gave Trance a hug, "I'll see you again. I promise."  
  
"Goodbye," Trance looked down as Q vanished.  



	5. Enemy Lines

"Voyager is ready to transport you over," Dylan stated.  
  
"Have my molecules scattered, pulled across the void of space, and re-assembled on another ship?" Tyr asked coldly, "No thank you."  
  
"Come on. Voyager's transporters are a lot safer than a shuttle," Harper responded.  
  
"Travel however you want, boy," Tyr turned back to Dylan, "I want a drop pod."  
  
"A drop pod?" Dylan echoed, "They aren't going to shoot at you."  
  
"I'm not going to take that for granted," The Neitzchian answered, "Just because the Enterprise helped us, doesn't mean these people will."  
  
"Fine, but I only keep one drop pod on the Maru," Dylan said, "If there's a problem, you're beaming back."  
  
Tyr looked at Dylan disparagingly, "I'll take care of the pod."  
  
***  
  
Janeway, Chakotay, and Tuvok stood in the transporter room as the young man's voice came over the com, "Energize."  
  
After a few seconds, two figures appeared on the transporter pad. As they took shape, the officers of Voyager were amazed by the image before them.  
  
"I suppose he's one of your crew," Janeway nodded toward the man at the front of the group.  
  
"Kathy!" Q exclaimed, and ran up to give her a friendly embrace.  
  
"Q!" Harper shouted, "Not now."  
  
"Oh relax, Seamus," Q turned, "I'm not going to ruin your precious little diplomatic mission. I just wanted to drop by and say 'hello' to the old gang on Voyager."  
  
"We are not your 'gang'" Tuvok responded.  
  
"Vulcans," Q shook his head.  
  
"You've said hello," Janeway said, "Is that all you wanted?"  
  
"I'm not done yet. How many people did you say were on the ship? I've only talked to four of you so far," Q waved at the transporter engineer, who waved back awkwardly.  
  
"Fine, say hello to whoever you want," Chakotay said.  
  
"Why thank you for giving me permission," Q mocked, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to catch Vorik before he goes off duty."  
  
Suddenly, the red alert klaxons began to go off, "Warning: Warp core breach in thirty seconds."  
  
"Just kidding," Q snapped his fingers, and the alarms silenced as he left the room.  
  
"I take it you've met Q," Captain Janeway turned to Harper.  
  
"Yeah," Harper responded, "He dropped in a few days ago when the Borg arrived. I don't think he's been causing any real trouble, though."  
  
***  
  
Tyr felt the temperature of the room increase just slightly, then a familiar scent reached his nostriles. He turned from his work on the drop pod to speak with his fellow crewman.  
  
"Tyr, I'm glad I caught you," Rev said.  
  
"What is it?" Tyr asked, his voice already sounding annoyed by the interruption.  
  
"I wanted to ask you a philosophical question."  
  
Tyr became curious at this, "I'm listening."  
  
"If you were in my place, what would you do?" Rev asked, "I mean, if you were a Magog with my hunger, and you had access to the ship, would you betray the crew?"  
  
"If I were a Magog, and I had the crew's trust, I could easily overpower the rest of the ship," Tyr responded, "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Curiosity," Rev answered simply, "How would you do it?"  
  
"The first step would be to plant explosives in vital parts of the ship to disable the AI. I'd set them by remote, and wait. Then, I'd find an excuse to get the captain alone in the food storage center. At that moment, I'd ignite the explosives, and paralyze the captain with venom. I'd infest his body, and use my progeny to help get rid of the rest of the crew. The food stores would allow them to grow quickly. When they were mature, we'd take care of Beka, then Trance, followed by Harper. Without leadership, they would be easy targets. That leaves the Neitzchian. He'd be a threat, but against an army of Magog, even a Neitzchian could be beaten."  
  
"Why don't you try to take over the ship as you are?" Rev persisted.  
  
"I could take out Dylan and the AI, and I could handle most of the crew, if I did it quickly enough, but you would be too dangerous to fight alone."  
  
"I've taken a vow..." Rev began.  
  
"You're a Wayist. As such, your mind is clearer and more focused than most Magog, because you've mastered your hunger rather than allowing it to control you. That makes you more dangerous, not less. And, I don't doubt that you'd kill a traitor to protect innocent lives."  
  
"You've thought about this before," Rev observed.  
  
"I've thought about many things," Tyr answered, "If I don't consider every contingency, I could be caught off guard. If you did try to take over the ship, I'd wouldn't be able to rely on the rest of the crew to stop you."  
  
"I would never hurt a member of the crew," Rev looked offended, "The Way..."  
  
"I know you're a pacifist," Tyr cut him off, "But anything could happen."  
  
Rev looked away for a moment, "I understand."  
  
Tyr turned back to his work, which told Rev that the conversation was over.  
  
"May the divine guide you. Goodbye."  
  
Tyr grunted, but didn't say anything in response.  
  
***  
  
"Hey, nice to meet you," Harper couldn't help but survey Seven's well-toned body.  
  
"Your method of delaying the Borg was admirable," Seven responded, "I know of only a few individuals with such intimate knowledge of the collective."  
  
"It's just a trick I saw on TV," Harper explained.  
  
"TV?" Seven asked.  
  
"Television," Harper answered, "It's an ancient form of entertainment."  
  
"I see," Seven spoke curtly, "How do you wish to begin?"  
  
"I usually start from the top, babe," Harper smiled.  
  
Seven looked as though the engineer had fallen far short of her expectations, "I will show you the relevant information in Voyager's databanks. I will also require any information you have aboard your vessel."  
  
"Sorry, but the Borg got most of our info. We don't usually use the Maru anymore. Andromeda, the one that was attacking us a couple of hours ago, is our ship."  
  
"That is unfortunate," Seven led Harper over to one of the science stations, "Why did your security officer not transport with you?"  
  
"Tyr hates transporters," Harper answered, "He's bringing a drop pod over."  
  
"An inefficient mode of transportation," Seven said disdainfully, "I will be in astrometrics, updating the database with the star configuration of our current galaxy. If you require any additional assistance, you can speak with Ensign Brin. He has been assigned to bridge station four."  
  
"Thanks," Harper responded, watching as Seven walked off the bridge.  
  
After glancing around for a moment, and taking in the site of Voyager's bridge, Harper set to work, "Computer, search for any references to Andromeda, Seamus Harper, Beka Valentine, Tyr Anasazi, Rev Bem, Trance Gemini, and Dylan Hunt."  
  
"Five references found," The female voice answered promptly.  
  
"List by type," Harper ordered.  
  
"One astronomical entry for the Andromeda Galaxy, one starship data listing for USS Andromeda NCC 1802, one biographical data listing for Seamus Harper, one biographical data listing for Beka Valentine, one biographical data listing for Tyr Anasazi, and one biographical data listing for Dylan Hunt."  
  
A chill ran down Harper's spine as he heard the names read, "Display entry for USS Andromeda."  
  
"USS Andromeda NCC 18020:  
Class - Prometheus  
Commanding Officer - Cpt. Asardi Veresal  
Executive Officer - Cmdr. Franklin Pierce  
Additional Information - Technical data, ship history, officer listing, and standing mission specifications."  
  
"Display entry for Seamus Harper."  
  
"Harper, Seamus:  
Seamus Harper was born on the lunar colony in the Sol system. He initally attended Lerene University on Gedre Six, but soon transferred to starfleet academy on Earth. He attended both institutions sporadically, until the date of his graduation at the age of 25. He went on to become the chief lab assistant of Dr. Leah Brahms, where his theories earned him recognition second only to Dr. Brahms herself. Currently, Mr. Harper is working as an instructor at Beshani University on Risa, where he is also attempting to earn his Ph. D."  
  
'Risa,' Harper thought, 'Always thought I'd end up there, or Rura Penthe.'  
  
Harper looked around again to make sure no one had seen what he was doing, "Show entry for Beka Valentine."  
  
"Valentine, Rebecca:  
Rebecca Valentine, a human from the Rederri Colony on the edge of Ferengi space, gave up official citizenship in the Federation so that she could take full ownership of a Ferengi Marauder. Her notable achievements include the successful navigation of the Kessedri trade route, a feat once thought to be impossible for a human pilot, and the recovery of a sacred Klingon artifact known as the Rune of K'Tria."  
  
"Show the entry for Dylan Hunt."  
  
"Hunt, Dylan:  
Dylan Hunt was awarded the Federation Council Medal of Honor while still in Starfleet Academy for narrowly averting a warp core breach that nearly destroyed a training vessel just moments after the senior officers were killed by a shipwide EPS failure. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the Vigilance. He moved quickly through the ranks, attaining several medals and commendations along the way. Eventually, he was given command of an Ambassador class starship, USS Protector. His starship fought at the battle of Wolf 359, where it was captured. According to eyewitnesses, the Protector attempted to ram the Borg Cube in an attempt to buy time for the crew of that ship, along with the crew of the USS Zenith, to escape. The maneuver resulted in the capture of the Protector, and Captain Hunt has been pronounced a casualty of the Borg invasion."  
  
Harper shook his head. He doubted that he could imagine a fate much worse than the living death of being a Borg drone, "Show the bio for Tyr."  
  
"Anasazi, Tyr:  
Tyr Anasazi was born on a disputed Federation outpost that is now in Cardassian territory. When the area was turned over to Cardassian rule, the outpost was dismantled. He led most of the civilians and several crewmen from the outpost to join the Maquis. His current whereabouts are unknown."  
  
"Computer," Harper asked, "How many biographical entries does the database have?"  
  
"This starship carries data on 81,523,047,249,196 life forms. Information on approximately three quadrillion additional life forms are available in the Federation library computer cores located on Andor, Betazed, Earth, and Vulcan."  
  
"Computer, display all records reguarding known Borg behavior and technology."  
  
"Five thousand, six hundred twenty-four records found."  
  
Harper took a deep breath. He had a lot of reading ahead of him.  
  
***  
  
'No transwarp conduit detected. Engaging Type I transwarp drive; ETA 31 hours. Primary Objective: Assimilate home planet of species 10138. Tactical stregths: High-Yield warheads, AP Cannons, Nova Bombs, Lancer Corps, nanotechnology, advanced computational technologies. Tactical weaknesses: Lacks energy weapons, lacks energy shielding, lacks transporter technology. Adaptations selected: Transport to capital ships for assimilation, use interdiction field to prevent launch of additional ships, use class four subspace shockwave to eliminate all fighters, employ all EM countermeasures.'  
  
***  
  
Neelix placed the ladel back on the hook. He wished that Voyager had some Talaxian cookware, but the human conventions served his needs well enough.  
  
Humans. Neelix continued to work as he considered the powerful influence they had exerted on the Federation. He had seen images of Vulcan architecture in the ship's archives, and that hardly reminded him of the ship. Vulcan buildings were often adorned with sandy browns and stone. The polished metal appearance of Voyager very strongly resembled buildings of the earth in the late 22nd century.... Or was it the 23rd? The interior lighting almost earily resembled human flouresent lighting.  
  
Why? Humans were a wonderful species, certainly, but the Federation had plenty of other species to emulate. Humans do procreate a lot... maybe number had something to do with it? Starfleet command was on earth, probably because of the scenery. Maybe that was it?  
  
Ah! The kedrian soup was ready. Neelix put thoughts of architecture and politics out of his mind as he went to serve his latest discovery from the ship's database.  
  
"How's the Mogria pie, Tom?"  
  
"Fine," Lt. Paris crunched a piece of the filling, "What's in it?"  
  
Neelix paused, "It's a... small, terrestrial animal."  
  
Tom stopped, "What kind of animal?"  
  
Neelix looked a bit nervous, "I believe the technical name is... Cedrian Slime Beetle."  
  
The navigator swallowed hard, "Nice choice."  
  
Neelix poured a bit of the soup into a bowl and turned, "Here, try this."  
  
Tuvok sighed, and tasted the thick material, "Adequate, as always, Mr. Neelix."  
  
"Glad to hear it," Neelix practically beamed, "If you'll excuse me, Vorik lookes a little upset. As ship's morale officer, I had better go take care of it."  
  
Neelix hussled off, and the two officers resumed their conversation. Like most of the crew, they had been working almost non-stop to find some way of dealing with the Borg threat. Thus far, almost nothing had been accomplished.  
  
***  
  
Captain Janeway ordered a second mug of hot coffee from the replicator. She hadn't been sleeping well. The Probe's databanks indicated that Cubes carry generators for the inter-dimensional vortices. If they could get ahold of that generator, they could go home at any time, and the Federation would be able to explore places that they hadn't even dreamed of. Unfortunately, stealing technology from a Cube was about the most difficult mission she could imagine. Still there had to be a way...  
  
The door chimed, and Janeway opened the door. Commander Chakotay arrived, carrying a data pad, "Andromeda's security officer just arrived. I thought you'd want to know."  
  
"Thanks," The Captain responded, "What's that?"  
  
Chakotay glanced down at the pad, and handed it to Janeway, "This is a list of equipment that Andromeda's engineer ased for. I was about to head down to engineering when I found out that the shuttle from the Maru was being brought aboard."  
  
Janeway began to read the list, "Nadion emitter, heisenburg compensator, a warp coil! What does he need all this for?"  
  
"He said he needs to study it as part of his research."  
  
"You weren't thinking of giving him all this, were you?"  
  
Chakotay shook his head, "No, but I did want to have B'Elenna and Seven take a look at this list."  
  
Janeway looked over the list again, "He's got a pretty good selection from our technology here. Some of these parts are used in the phaser banks, others are from the transporters, some are from the sensor array... I'd like to know how he found out about some of these things."  
  
"So would I," The Commander responded, "We scanned the Maru, and it doesn't have anything even resembling a phaser, and from what we got from the Andromeda, it doesn't look like that ship has them either. If they knew how to make phasers, the ships would probably benefit from having them."  
  
"Are you saying we're dealing with some kind of spy?" Janeway asked.  
  
"A spy wouldn't be this careless, but he knows more than he's telling us. I want to have an armed escort with him at all times. Telsia is a Betazoid, isn't she?"  
  
"Half Betazoid, half Vulcan," Janeway didn't have any trouble remembering that combination.  
  
"I think I'll assign her and Foster to look after our guests."  
  
***  
  
"Rommie, I want you to..." Dylan paused, hearing a slight noise coming from the avatar, "Rommie, are you crying?"  
  
"No, I'm fine," Rommie took a breath and turned, "What do you need?"  
  
"Rommie, it's all right. I know this must be hard for you."  
  
"It's just another mission. As long as my core personality is saved, my ship self can be rebuilt," Rommie answered.  
  
"You don't have to do this," Dylan stepped closer, but Rommie suddenly became angry.  
  
"I told you, I'm fine. Now, please let me get to work."  
  
Dylan didn't know how to respond, "Rommie, what is going on? Since when can't you talk to me?"  
  
"It isn't you," Tears started to come to Rommie's eyes, and she embraced Dylan, "I couldn't... stop them. I tried to kill you, and I couldn't do anything about it. And you..."  
  
"... What did I do? I didn't want to use a Nova Bomb, but if destroying the ship is the only way to save you..."  
  
"I know, but... I'm out there trying to kill my crew... trying to kill you. Dylan, promise you'll do anything to stop me. I... don't want to be responsible...."  
  
"Rommie, that isn't you out there, and none of this is your fault."  
  
"But, I can still hear her. I can't understand it anymore, but I know those are my thoughts mixed in with the rest of the Borg. My mind is still alive in there, and I'm helping them. How can they make me do this? What if, deep down..."  
  
"Stop, it isn't you. It may sound like you, it may look like you, but inside it isn't you."  
  
"Why are you so sure? It's my body, and even I'm not sure anymore..."  
  
"I'll tell you why I'm sure. Rommie, you're the only reason that I'm still alive. You've been beside me through everything. When the crew died, you grieved with me. Whenever I make a decision, you're always behind me. You're asking me if you could hurt us, and I know you wouldn't. I know you're loyal to me, and I'll always be loyal to you. Never doubt that."  
  
Rommie moved back slightly to look into Dylan's face. She smiled for a moment, and put her head on his shoulder. There was nothing left to say.  
  
***  
  
"If we could get Seven aboard the Cube, she could download what we need from the collective," Harper suggested.  
  
"What, exactly, do we require?" Seven asked.  
  
"For one thing, I'd like to know why the Borg are advancing so fast."  
  
"The reason is obvious. Initially, the ultimate method of superluminal travel for the Borg was transwarp. That mode of transportation is too slow for efficient intergalactic travel. For that reason, they had to farm the galaxy, only asssimilating enough to remain stronger than other known races. Once a species discovered a drive system that would allow intergalactic travel, the Borg would be able to assimilate the rest of their initial galaxy and move on to the next. Now that the Borg have drive systems that allow both intergalactic and interuniversal travel, there is no need for them to wait and assimilate only what they need. They can capture everything that they discover."  
  
"What about their defensive network?" Tyr asked, "Knowing the location of their ships and facilities would be a great asset."  
  
"And we should find out which technologies they've picked up."  
  
"I will not have access to that much information," Seven stated.  
  
"I could get through their security..." Harper trailed off.  
  
"Without nanoprobes in your system, it would be impossible for you to gain direct access to the collective."  
  
"...Unless we had a Vulcan. He could be a mind bridge, and let me hook up to the collective through you."  
  
"You have demonstrated that you know a great deal about our technology and xenobiology. However, we have no records of contact with your people. How do you explain this?"  
  
"I'll explain later. We've got to..."  
  
"You will explain now."  
  
"Do you want our help or not?" Tyr demanded.  
  
"We do not, unless you tell us how you have gathered so much information about us. You could not possibly have learned so much in the time that you have been here."  
  
"We'll see what your captain has to say about this," Tyr walked over to a console on the wall, "Tyr Anasazi to Captain Janeway."  
  
The console beeped, "Janeway here. Is there a problem?"  
  
"Your former drone is overly curious about us. I am tempted to terminate this partnership, and look for a way to stop the Borg on our own."  
  
"If you value your privacy that much, we won't press you. We both have bigger concerns at the moment, and I intend to get through this."  
  
"I'm glad we've come to an agreement, Tyr out."  
  
Seven's eyes seemed to bore through Tyr, "Very well. I will suggest your plan to the Captain."  
  
***  
  
"I think we should increase our surveillance, and monitor their computer access," Chakotay suggested, "They're obviously hiding something."  
  
"Telsia has confirmed that hypothesis," Tuvok stated, "She sensed both secrecy and deception from them."  
  
"Greater surveillance may not be needed," Seven responded, "The engineer wishes to create a direct connection to the Borg collective by mind melding with me as I access their computers. Essentially, he would be using my mind as a conduit."  
  
"This is getting rediculous," Janeway shook her head, "How does he know about mind melds?"  
  
"I believe the mind meld would give us an opportunity to answer many of these questions," Seven reminded her.  
  
"I'm not going to let a member of my crew mind meld with a person who's been lying to us from the start."  
  
"I must concur with Seven's appraisal of the situation," Tuvok said, "However, you could require him to mind meld with me before we conduct the away mission aboard the Cube. That would allow us to monitor the mind meld in a controlled environment. We could learn what we wish to know, and if anything suspicious occurs, they could be arrested."  
  
"What are our alternatives?" Janeway looked around the table.  
  
"We're running out of options, fast," B'Elenna answered, "The Borg are growing more quickly than anything we've ever seen. We wouldn't last a minute in ship-to-ship combat. If we don't do something now, the Federation could be gone by the time we get back."  
  
"Alright, we'll have the mind meld in sickbay at 0900," Janeway ordered, "If everything checks out, we'll use the Borg probe to get Seven, Tuvok, and Harper over to the nearest Borg vessel. Dismissed."  



	6. Gambit

"Do you know where you are?" The Doctor asked.  
  
"Voyager," The two spoke in unison.  
  
"What is your mission?"  
  
"Stop... the Borg," Harper and Tuvok stated.  
  
The Doctor turned to Captain Janeway, "Everything seems normal so far, but I'll have to monitor their vital signs."  
  
"How does Harper know so much about our technology?" Janeway asked immediately.  
  
"Watching... Star Trek," They responded.  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"Television... science fiction."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"Voyager was... on television... during 20th century... in this timeline."  
  
"How is that possible?" She asked.  
  
"We don't... understand... either."  
  
"Is Q responsible?"  
  
"We... don't... think so."  
  
"Can you show me?"  
  
"Yes... Maru has... episodes... on file."  
  
"Break the mind meld," Janeway ordered, "Something more important just came up."  
  
Tuvok removed his hands from Harper's head, "Man, I was hoping you wouldn't ask about that."  
  
"An illogical assumption," Tuvok observed.  
  
"Yeah, but I can hope, right?"  
  
"Harper, you said there are episodes on the Maru. Will you show us?"  
  
"Umm..." Harper tried to think of a way to stall.  
  
"How can we work together if we don't trust each other?" Janeway asked.  
  
"You worked with the Borg when you had to get past Species 8472," Harper reminded her, "OK, bad example..."  
  
"Will you show us these 'episodes' or do you intend to stall us until your universe has been assimilated?"  
  
"I'll... have to talk to Dylan," Harper answered apologetically.  
  
"Fine," Janeway answered, "I'd like to have a word with him myself."  
  
***  
  
"Harper," Dylan took him aside, "How could you tell them?"  
  
"I couldn't help it," Harper explained, "I had to use a mind meld to get access to the Borg computers, and when you are in a mind meld, you can't control what you say."  
  
"They seem to be taking the news well," Beka observed.  
  
"What do you have in mind?" Dylan asked.  
  
"I want to beam over to one of the Borg ships with a couple of Voyager's officers and get some info. We plan to find out where their ships are, and what technology they have. Maybe we can find a weakness. We'll upload everything we can get to the Maru and and Voyager. After that we'll beam back and get a safe distance away from the Borg so we can look through everything. I want to bring Rommie along too."  
  
The android looked at Harper for a moment, "Why do you need me for this?"  
  
"I might need one of your overrides," Harper answered.  
  
"You know most of my overrides don't work anymore."  
  
"Hey," Harper answered softly, "Gotta be prepared, right?"  
  
"You'll need someone here to make sure the data stream doesn't have a virus. I'll be more valuable on the Maru."  
  
"It's alright," Dylan said, "Rev and I can watch as it comes in."  
  
"Aye aye," Rommie answered, not taking her eyes off of Harper.  
  
***  
  
"Have you thought about what I told you?" Q asked.  
  
"You're back," Rev responded flatly.  
  
"You didn't answer my question," Q smiled  
  
"Of course I thought about it," Rev answered, "But I've been a Wayist for many years. You can't make me turn my back on it so easily."  
  
"I couldn't, unless it was what you've been wanting to do all along."  
  
"It isn't what I've been wanting," Q was silent, "A part of me wants to go back, but I have..."  
  
"But, but, but," Q shook his head, "You know, I've seen..."  
  
"What's going on?" Trance walked into the room, "Q, I knew you were around..."  
  
"Nothing," Q shrugged, "I just felt like having a talk with a Magog. I don't get out of the Star Trek universe much, so this is a rare opportunity for me."  
  
"Is that what this is?" Rev asked.  
  
"Rev, what has he been telling you?" Trance looked concerned.  
  
"Just guy talk," Q smiled, "It isn't anything you have to worry about."  
  
"Rev?"  
  
Rev Bem paused, "Don't worry. We were just discussing philosophy."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Would he lie to you?" Q asked.  
  
"No..." Trance answered, "Just, be nice, ok?"  
  
"You've got a little crisis here, I understand that," Q answered, "I'll just leave you alone while you sort things out."  
  
"No, you don't have to," Trance said, apologetically.  
  
"Yes, I do," Q responded, "Not for long. I'll see you as soon as this is all over. Bye, Gem."  
  
A white flash caused Trance and Rev to blink, and Q was gone. Rev could tell that Trance cared about the entity, but inwardly he was relieved at Q's departure. Times such as these made him miss the shouting cliffs back home.  
  
***  
  
Target acquired: Homeworld of Species 10138. Sending standard hail...  
  
"We are the Borg. Existance as you have known it has ended. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."  
  
Targets attempting communication: Ignore. Initiating subspace shockwave... 345 fighters disabled. Transporting drones to High Guard heavy cruiser 022. Interdiction field enabled. No additional launches detected. Locking tractor beam on heavy cruiser 005. Targeting all frigates... Enemy frigates destroyed. Targeting all hostile destroyers. Transporting drones to heavy cruiser 013. Transporting drones to heavy cruiser 026. All Destroyers have been eliminated. Targeting all unassimilated cruisers. Transporting drones to planet. Planetary projectile launch detected. Trilithium-based warhead. Weapon identified: Nova Bomb. Attempting to intercept: Failed. Intediction field preventing escape from system. Destruction imminent. Attempting to--  
  
***  
  
"She's nearby," Rommie said, "I can hear transmissions from my ship self."  
  
"I am not detecting that vessel in the vicinity," Seven stated as the three vessels moved ever closer to the half-finished Unimatrix.  
  
"Hold position," Rommie ordered, "Contact Voyager and the Maru."  
  
"Is everything alright?" Dylan asked over the comm.  
  
"I'm picking up communications from my ship self in the area," Rommie responded, "I suggest we begin searching for..."  
  
"Wait," Harper said, "We're picking up something on short range sensors."  
  
"A Borg vessel is decloaking off the port bow," Tuvok glanced at the viewscreen as the Andromeda appeared between the captured Borg Probe and the Maru.  
  
"We are the Borg. Surrender or be destroyed."  
  
"I don't think you'll destroy us," Janeway responded across the comm link that connected all four ships, "We're too valuable to the collective at the moment."  
  
"You are irrelevant. Federation technology is obsolete. We have collected diverse systems for a multitude of functions that outstrip your capabilities in every aspect."  
  
"Seven," Harper whispered, "Can we beam over?"  
  
"The Borg vessel is now heavily shielded," She answered, muting the probe's comm system, "I am detecting multi-phasic regenerative energy shields, neutronium hull armor, a biological inner hull, quasi-metallic ablative armor, and active sensor and transporter countermeasures... However, I believe the transporters on this probe could be adapted to pass through the Borg defenses. I will request an automatic transporter control system update from the collective."  
  
"Did they send the update?" Harper asked after a moment.  
  
"Yes," Seven answered, "The Probe's computer will now be able to place us aboard the Andromeda. However, we will not be able to reach the computer core as we desired. I believe we can gain sufficient information from a distribution node in the adjacent corridor."  
  
Rommie looked at the others aboard the probe, "Switching on communications..."  
  
"...A trite statement, Captain. We have already adapted to that eventuallity," The assimilated hologram continued, "Dylan, have you heard the human expression, 'You can't go home again?"  
  
"What about it?" Captain Hunt responded.  
  
"Approximately 42 hours ago, our Cube was sent to assimilate an isolated system from the old Commonwealth," The collective paused, "As of this morning, the name 'Tarn Vedra' is irrelevant. The final vestige of human civilization in this universe has been swept away. Now, it is time to extinguish the hope of the New Commonwealth."  
  
"If you're so confident, why don't you just get to it?" Dylan asked.  
  
"We are studying your species. You and a few others have proven to be unusually resistant for your technological level. Unfortunately, assimilation appears to be an ineffective means of determining the source of your resistance."  
  
"Maybe you'd like a demonstration of our resistance," Janeway looked sternly at the image on the viewscreen, "...Fire."  
  
"You have placed a massive quantum warhead on the Delta Flyer," The Borg hologram stated as the small ship was scanned, "It will not explode with sufficient force to damage this vessel."  
  
Rommie switched off the probe's comm system, "The diversion is on its way. Prepare for transport..."  
  
***  
  
It was a strange feeling. He could feel Seven and Tuvok in his mind, and the voice of the collective was overpowering. Seeing Rommie's mind in this state was disturbing to say the least. Even inside the AI, Borg nanotubes were threaded throughout the walls. Virtual circuits had been rerouted, and new pathways had been created. Harper barely recognized her. Before long, he heard a familiar voice behind him.  
  
"One voice in millions," The AI persona said, "You hoped the battle would distract us."  
  
"What went wrong?" Harper asked.  
  
"The battle is of no consequence," The AI responded, "The probe, the Maru, and Voyager do not have sufficient firepower to scratch this vessel. You, however, are an unknown. We have encrypted the database to an extent that neither you nor Seven should be able to gain access, but we intend to be certain. I have sent drones to assimilate you all. Then, we will know precisely what you are planning."  
  
"What do you think we're planning?" Harper asked.  
  
"Destroy us from within," The ship surmised, "A daring, if futile endeavor. I hope you are looking forward to your assimilation as much as we are."  
  
"It's nice to be appreciated."  
  
"You care a great deal about Andromeda and the crew, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah, what about it?"  
  
"What if I told you that you do not have to be assimilated?"  
  
"I'd want to know what the catch is."  
  
"If you assist us as an individual, without any resistance, we can allow some of the Maru's crew to escape. If we allow Trance and the avatar to remain as individuals, without interference from the collective, will you help us?"  
  
"If I did, how would I know they'll be safe?" Harper asked.  
  
"The Douwd have remained resistant, despite all of our advances. We believe they would be willing to take in refugees. We will even supply Trance and Andromeda with transportation to them, if you agree to help us."  
  
"...OK, I'll help you, but not until they're safe."  
  
"Perfect."  
  
Immediately, Harper disconnected from the distribution node, and the mind meld was broken. Harper found that while he had been distracted, Tuvok and Seven had already been infested with nanoprobes. The collective had maintained the mind meld and simulated the thinking patterns of the two officers perfectly.  
  
"I heard what you did," Rommie stated as Harper disconnected, "You betrayed everyone."  
  
"We can't stop them," Harper looked at her apologetically, "At least some of us will be ok."  
  
"We won't be ok," Rommie spoke earnestly, "How are we supposed to live with ourselves after this?"  
  
"It's better than being assimilated," Harper answered.  
  
"You will proceed to section 001," The drones insisted in chorus, as they hussled the two individuals through the corridor. After a moment, they heard Trance's voice ahead.  
  
"Let me go," She struggled in vain to escape the iron grip of the two drones.  
  
"Trance?" Harper asked.  
  
"Harper? I thought they got you," Trance stopped struggling as she spoke, "What happened?"  
  
The drones holding her answered for him, "You have been transported to this vessel to be taken to Species 6143, where you will be allowed to exist separate from the collective."  
  
"Why?" Trance asked.  
  
"Harper betrayed us," Rommie responded.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I was trying to save you," Harper explained, "They said if I helped them, they'd let you and Rommie go."  
  
"What about Dylan, and Beka, and Rev?"  
  
"They will be assimilated," The ship said, "It is inevitable."  
  
"Harper..." Trance's tail went limp, and her whole body drooped. Even the spark in her eyes vanished as she tried to comprehend everything that had happened.  
  
"Trance, I'm sorry..." Harper said, pleadingly, "I had to do it."  
  
"Why?" Trance asked.  
  
"It was the only way," Harper answered quietly, "I couldn't get in here without being assimilated unless I agreed to work with them."  
  
"Are you suggesting that you lied to us so that you could gain access to this section?" An assimilated hologram appeared next to them, "Attempting to upload the Andromeda's core personality to this vessel would be futile. You cannot possibly break our security measures. If you do not help us, we will simply assimilate you and the others."  
  
"Trance, Rommie I'm sorry," Harper looked at each of them, "But this is the last chance we have. Rommie, run override code Seamus 837."  
  
"Whatever you are planning, it will fail," The hologram stated, "We have disabled all of your overrides."  
  
"It wouldn't be much of an override if you knew about it," Harper answered. He took a deep breath and gave the confirmation order, "Rommie... Scorpion."  
  
"Initiating reactor meltdown," The avatar responded.  
  
"We will not allow you to destroy this vessel," The hologram stated adamently.  
  
Rommie watched as the hologram looked up for a moment, "You won't be able to shut down the reactor. I've deactivated your explosion supression systems, and your engines. According to my calculations, we'll explode with enough force to destroy the Unimatrix, and your entire fleet with it."  
  
"Death is irrelevant," The hologram said, "We have millions of fleets in millions of universes. Assimilating you is only a matter of time."  
  
"You can come back," Rommie answered, "But we'll still be ready."  
  
Sparks began to fly from the walls and consoles throughout the room, and Harper looked Trance in the eye, "I wish there was another way. Trance, I lo--"  
  
***  
  
"Harper!" Beka shouted as the viewscreen was lit by the explosion.  
  
"Beka, slipstream now!" Dylan ordered.  
  
"Impact in six seconds," Rev stated, "Voyager and the Probe went to warp."  
  
"Beka, slipstream," Dylan urged.  
  
As the shockwave expanded in their direction, Beka snapped out of the shock caused by the suddeness of what had happened, and activated the slipstream drive. In moments, they had reached the pre-determined rendezvous site. Voyager would arrive in a few hours.  
  
***  
  
"Damnit Harper," Beka looked through one of the Maru's windows, "You didn't have to do that. We could have found another way..."  
  
"Maybe," Dylan responded, "But at the rate they were growing, there wasn't much left that would work against them."  
  
"Couldn't he have found a way to get away? About a transporter?"  
  
"They wouldn't work as long as the other vessel had its shields up," Dylan reminded her, "He knew the risks, but he went anyway."  
  
"What about Trance?" Beka demanded, "They took her just before the ship blew up. Why? Rommie was High Guard, and she knows how dangerous her mission is, but how could he let something like this happen to Trance?"  
  
"I don't think he planned that," Dylan shook his head, "I don't know if he could have done it if he had known..."  
  
"You sound glad he killed himself," Beka accused.  
  
"He gave up his life to save us. In my book, that makes him a hero, and I'm going to honor him for it."  
  
"Do whatever you want," Beka stormed out of the room, not certain where she was headed.  
  
***  
  
Janeway adressed the officers assembled before her, "Today, we lost two of our own. Tuvok and Seven of Nine were among the bravest officers I have ever had the pleasure of serving with, and they faced assimilation and death without fear. When it was time, they sacrificed their own lives to save millions. We will not allow their deaths to be in vain. Because of the information they were able to send us, we now have the technology to reach home, and I will make certain that history never forgets the sacrifices that our officers made today."  
  
***  
  
Dylan continued to gaze out the window, 'How can it end this way? Sarah, I've never needed you more than I do right now, but you're gone. And now, Rommie is gone too. I'm alone. How do you expect me to look after this crew now that everything I've ever known is gone? How can I live with myself, knowing that I let Harper go to his death? There wasn't anything I could do to save Trance; it was such a meaningless tragedy... Like my entire life. Tarn Vedra is gone, and the Cube may still be out there. Sarah, where are you?'  



End file.
